Day 4: Sharks, Treats, and Plans A, B, C...

 Monday morning we woke early and made sure all the kids took their Dramamine.  Then we headed out to see our sharks.  Kate stayed behind with Beth.  She had no interest in swimming with sharks and we could only have 7 passengers in the boat so it worked out perfectly.   The boat had two crew members, a driver and a diver.  They talked us through the rules and taught us all about sharks on our drive out.  We kept our eyes open and were rewarded with several humpback whale sightings.  One whale put on a show by tail slapping over and over and over.  It was incredible.  The whale watching kept us busy and suddenly we were there.  

 

The sharks flocked to the boat, drawn by the engine stirring up the water.  They weren’t being fed but had learned from fishing boats in the area that boats often meant easy lunch.  We could see several sharks by just looking over the boat edge.  The big kids and Greg put on their gear and got in the water.  I stayed back to help the littles.  Lily was brave and got in with Greg, but the big waves pushed her up against the boat and she soon returned to the boat to watch from the edge.  Emily sat on the latter and looked down into the water to view the sharks, but she never built up quite enough courage to make the plunge.  Yet, even sitting on the stairs she loved the experience and was glad she came.  

I loved being in the water, but we were asked to hold a rope on the side of the boat.  This rope insured that we didn’t get too far from the boat, and that we stayed near the diver.  They didn’t want us to get too close to the engine or have any trouble with the sharks.  Unfortunately, it also meant that we would be pushed into the boat with the waves.  Occasionally we could let go and dive down to get a closer view, as long as we had the diver’s permission.  I did this serval times and loved the freedom of the open water.  After a while the diver stopped motioning for me to return to the rope.  I took advantage of the freedom.  The diver did have to grab my leg and flipper a few times to keep me from floating out of the safe zone.  Under the water, it was easy to lose track of where I was in relation to the boat.  I could not believe how many sharks we saw and how indifferent they were to us.  We saw sandbar, Galapagos, and black tip sharks.  They seemed to just circle below us, layer upon layer of sharks swimming.  It was an amazing experience.

Our drive back was a bit chilly due to an insufficient number of towels and a lot of wet bodies, but a few whale blows kept us entertained.  We arrived at the harbor and met up with Beth preping them for their journey out to see the sharks and retrieving our Kate.  The rental van only fit 7, we usually had at least one kid riding with cousins, so it hadn’t been a problem.  For this ride however, we crammed all 8 of us in the 7 seats (Lily said she liked sitting on the floor) and headed out to find a more filling breakfast, the handfuls of cereal on our early morning drive didn’t quite cut it.  

Google found us the Palapa Kai bakery.  The man in line in front of us told us all of the best things to order and we had no trouble filling the box with cream puffs, mala sadas, chocolate croissants, donuts, and other yummies.  Everything was delicious and should have meant that everyone was contented but somehow the kids managed to start fighting over the last bites of this and that.  Soon Greg was upset too…lack of sleep, too much sun, and who know what else, but it was a quiet drive back to the harbor.  Once everyone had cooled off, we started making plans for the rest of the day.  Greg walked over to the famous Matsumotos to order shaved ice for everyone while the kids and I enjoyed some down time in the watching the chicken walk around on the hood of the car. 

 

There were chickens everywhere we went.  They just roamed around wild like cats or squirrels back home.  The kids loved it.  

Soon the shaved ice where ready, Beth was back, and Laurie was near, so we all met at Matsumotos, grabbed our tasties and headed out, yet again, to try and snorkel.  The snow cones looked and tasted amazing – except mine because I made the poor choice of vanilla flavoring (I had convinced myself it was vanilla cream when ordering – but no); a choice I will not be repeating. 

 

We were going to try Electric Beach (Plan A), but the waves were too high, so we drove to the Mermaid Caves (Plan B).  We took some time in the parking lot to lather up with sunscreen.  The sun was out and strong and our red, burned bodies needed protection.  It took a while, and a lot of sunscreen but eventually everyone was white.  In the midst of all the lotion we decided to eat lunch – not the best choice.  Greg had to feed Emmy bites because her hands were so lotion covered.  Every day we ate PBH sandwiches.  Simple and easy.  

 

As soon as we finished lunch and started walking to the caves the inevitable happened – yes, it started raining.  At this point we felt the rain with a sense of foreboding; rain always seemed to come before adventure failure.  This time was no different.  The waves at the caves were too rough.  It wasn’t safe to explore or swim through the interesting, beautiful caves.  

 

In the pouring rain, while trying to decide if we could safely explore, we found a young couple searching for a lost engagement ring.  The man was quite angry and directing foul, discouraging language to his fiancé, who had lost the brand-new ring when she shook the sand off her hands.  We all looked and prayed to find the ring but soon decided it was best not to let the kids listen to that kind of talk.  Greg stayed behind looking for the ring and worrying about this woman.  He felt uncomfortable leaving her in such a volatile situation.  Miraculously, she found the ring and we returned to the vehicles a little more grateful for each other.  I know that no matter what I break or lose Greg will never speak to me like that.  He may laugh and tease, he may even go outside and storm in frustration, but I never worry that he will yell, curse, belittle, or blame me.  He won’t add to my burden of frustration and guilt – he will do all he can to let me know it will be okay.  How grateful I am to have him by my side through the storms of life.

Laurie came up with a new plan – a hike (Plan C).  I have no clue what this place was called, and the drive was a bit creepy, passing a ton of thoroughly trashed cars, but we eventually found the hike.  Everyone took off at different speeds along the path.  We found a cool snail as big as our hands and the boys experimented with their wardrobes creating shortie shorts and halter tops.  Eventually the trail was too muddy to continue so we turned back and ended up at a local beach (Plan D).  

It was fun to see the local families playing volleyball, digging tunnels, soaking up the sun.  The big kids headed down the beach where the surf was biggest.  They let themselves get hammered for a while before they returned to us, ready for a break.  However, the surf where we camped out was still big enough to catch Emily and later Lily and bathe them in sand.  Emily was pretty upset and completely coated in sand.  It took a lot of showers and rinsing of the swimsuit, but she eventually got most the sand off and found a smile.  Meanwhile, the three boys surprised me by swimming out to a buoy.  Bode definitely brings the adventurer out in my boys.  Kate played will all the Parkinson girls swimming, boarding, and doing handstands.  Overall, the place was a hit.  We stayed till stomachs were grumbling and the sun was setting.  We had a late dinner and tucked some exhausted littles into bed while the three oldest kids drove over to Parkinson’s and had a sleepover.  The boys had a stockpile of soda and treats left from their Costco purchases that needed to be finished.